


Saving Itward

by Lizzard_The_Wizard



Category: Fran Bow (Video Game)
Genre: Flaming horses and Water Swords, Gen, Itward is Kinda in a Relationship, Lots o'Feels, My First Work
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-09
Updated: 2017-02-28
Packaged: 2018-08-20 09:30:40
Rating: Teen And Up AudiencesNot Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 19,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8244455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lizzard_The_Wizard/pseuds/Lizzard_The_Wizard
Summary: When the Fourth Reality seizes Itward for his crimes, it's up to Marci, Fran, Mr. Midnight, and a flaming horse to rescue him from the Fourth Reality's clutches. But just how are a teen, an 11 year old, a cat, and a flaming horse going to succeed?





	1. Hopeless

**Author's Note:**

> This will be a multi-part story, containing large amounts of the Feels. If you experience any emotions while reading this, do please comment. It means a lot. Be patient, this is my first work and I am definetly not the best writer. I'm trying my best! Thanks. -Liz

  "Marci," Itward began again, "They found me. They know I am alive and what I have done..."

"What do you mean, Itward? I thought they couldn't get to you." They were sitting on a couch in Itward's flying machine. A tall girl that appeared to be 17 said. "How did this happen?!"

"They said I was to be taken back to the Fourth Reality." he murmured, taking Marci's hand. "...No. I-I can't let this happen. I cannot leave. H-how did this happen?! I... I was so careful..."

"...Itward! Please don't cry! There are so many who love you, including me!" she watched, tormented, as Itward's kind yellow eyes became flooded with sorrow and tears.

"... What can I possibly do, Marci?! I-I can't leave them. What will they do without m-..." he choked on his words as Marci embraced him warmly. Itward could not fight his pain any longer and the tears spilled over his boney face.

"You are going to be alright. We will get through this. I will find a way to help you, together." she soothed.

"... Marci. I-I love you, Marci..." he said with a sob in his grief-stricken voice.

"I love you too, Itward."

 

                  

"Please tell me another story, Itward!" Fran begged.

"But it is bedtime, my dear. If you do not get your rest, how will you grow?" Itward replied with a secret smile.

"But your stories are so fun, Itward! One more, Pleassssse????"

"Fran, my dear, I'm think you said that the last two stories." Mr. Midnight said from across Fran's pillow.

"Aww, but kitty..."

"Itward is right, Fran. If you never sleep, you might be short forever!" Mr. Midnight explained.

"But I'm not tired!" she said and immediately yawned.

"I will tell you another story tomorrow. Goodnight my dear Fran." Itward said. He stood up from her bed, blew out her candle and started for the door, when Fran called out.

"Itward can I ask you a silly question?" she asked. Itward turned back towards her.

"All questions are good questions, but you just did." he replied with mischief.

"Huh...?" Fran seemed confused for a moment. "Well, can I ask you TWO questions then?"

"Very well, ask away." 

"How come you're always slouched over?" she asked innocently.

"It is from looking upon my friends who are all shorter than I." Itward responded as Fran yawned once more.

"Goodnight..." she said drowsily.

"Sweet dreams, little one." he said and exited her room, shutting the door silently behind him. On the other side, he slumped against the wall, eyes downcast and full of anguish. I am going to miss her. He thought, and against his will, his eyes brimmed with tears as he despaired. Not wanting Fran to hear, he locked himself inside her bathroom. Leaning on the sink, he stared at himself in the mirror. Itward's eyes seemed haunted and dull. They did not glow as much anymore after he found out about his fate, that he was to be caught and taken back to the Fourth Reality for his treason. Itward hadn't seen himself look so depressed since- No. Don't think about how it was before. Your friends need you to stay strong, they are the world to you. He steeled himself, wiping his eyes with his skeletal fingers. He stayed in there longer until he regained his composure enough to risk being seen so distraught. 

Finally he was able to leave Fran's house with no one seeing him. With a sigh, he strode back towards his flying machine when a voice spoke from behind him.

"Psst! Itward!" Itward turned to see two yellow eyes staring up at him from his shadow.

"Mr. Midnight? What is the matter?" He asked.

"The matter is YOU, Itward!" he answered earnestly. "You haven't seemed to be yourself recently. You look very sad. What's more is that you appear to be trying to hide it from us. Fran hasn't noticed yet, I only know because cats are sensitive."

"What do you mean?" Itward asked with (hopefully) believable innocence. He wasn't the lying sort, wasn't any good at it and didn't want to be.

"Look, I know there's something bothering you worse than a thorn in your pad. Is there anything I can do to help you? It's making me really sad to see you like this." Mr. Midnight asked sympathetically.

"I don't want anyone to worry about me. I'm just..."

"Huh?"

"I am going to tell you the truth, it is bad news." Itward began reluctantly. "Very soon I am forced to leave for an indefinite amount of time. I do not know exactly when this is going to occur... But you may not see me for a while..."

"Why?!" Mr. Midnight gasped.

"I do not wish to go, but I'm afraid there is nothing I can do to stop this. I cannot tell you anymore. Mr. Midnight whatever you do, PLEASE do not tell Fran." he said solemnly. And turned and left Mr. Midnight more concerned than ever.

The rest of the night, Itward visited the children he watched over in the Third Reality. He read them stories or cheered them up. Though none of them were as important to him as Fran or Marci, he cared about all of them nonetheless. It was worth every time Itward had seen them cry or be sad just to make them smile again. Almost every time after he was done with his visits, he would go to Marci's house and relax with her the rest of the evening or night, depending on what time it was. Tonight was no different. As Itward was about to knock on Marci's door, it opened just as he was about to touch it.

"Hiya, Itward-ee-erd!" Marci chimed.

"Good evening Marci. You seem to be rather chipper." Itward smiled.

"I am. How are you tonight?" she asked good naturally. 

"I am well, thank you for asking." He replied with a feeling of homeyness. "How did you know I was here?"

"You always show up around this time, so I figured I'd surprise you. Plus you pretty much live here, you don't even need to knock!" she laughed. "Please come in, though I don't really need to invite you, either." Itward stepped into Marci's house. It had blue and green wall papers and well-kept grey carpets. Plus it always smelled pleasantly like cookies, even if she hadn't made any. It was the only home he had ever known. He seated himself on her couch as she asked if he wanted anything to eat.

"It smells like you made cookies, Marci." he commented, sniffing the air.

"I did just a couple minutes ago, actually. They are probably still warm. I will fix a plate." she said and went into her kitchen and came back out with a bowl full of warm gooey chocolate chip cookies and two glasses of cold milk.

"They're in a bowl." he noticed.

"Uh, yeah... I ran out of plates."

"How did you break them all?" he asked in amusement.

"I dropped the last four after you left last night by accident." she replied, embarrassed. Itward laughed. Marci was not the best person to ask to handle tableware, or any glass object for that matter, because she, uh, had a habit of throwing things.

"You can always get new ones." he assured her.

"This morning I came up with a song for that. 'The best part of waking up, is egg whites in your cup! I'm outta plates.'" She said in a singsong voice in a parody of the Folgers coffee grounds jingle. Itward laughed around the cookie in his mouth. She made the best cookies in the universe, whatever kind it was it was always the best. Marci sat beside him and dipped a cookie in her glass.

"I am sorry to kill the mood but I still need to talk to you about everything." he mutter quietly.

"Not at all, there is no way to avoid this. Maybe the better we understand it, the sooner we can come up with a plan to help you." she suggested. After all that remained in the bowl were crumbs and drops of milk in their glasses, they became aware of a growing pattering sound from outside. Droplets of water slid down the window.


	2. False Hope

Droplets of water slid down the window.

"It is raining, perfect now to talk about this, because you won't have to go out tonight."

"You are right about that." Marci was a Kamala Hunter, the rain would do her job for her. The rain steadily increased its pitter pattering on the roof.

"Alright I think I am ready to talk again." Itward said after several minutes, breaking the silence. "You already know about why I was sent to do bad things to the other realities because the Fourth wanted to rule them. And I was a traitor for abandoning the mission and fled because I couldn't do those things they wanted me to."

"Yes I know that you hate fighting." she said.

"About less than a month ago I received a message that stated I was to be retrieved and imprisoned until a suitable punishment is sentenced. It said I could come willingly but any force necessary, save for death, shall be used to capture me if I resist." he sighed, spirits dropping again. After a moment Marci sat up a little straighter and locked her also yellow eyes with his.

"No." she stated, voice cold as ice. "I will not stand idle and let this happen. I swear, I would KILL them."

"Not that! No one is going to kill anyone!" Itward responded in horror. "Besides! Marci they'd hurt you for trying to help me! I can't let that happen to you! They are more wicked than the Fifth Reality." He dropped his voice down to a whisper. "They could go neck and neck with Remor and come out on top."

"Don't say his name, he'll hear you." Marci said and shook her head. 

"I don't care! I just want you to be safe." he was on the verge of crying again.

"I know, I know. Shh, we'll think of something. I swear this isn't going to happen."

"I am afraid I cannot think myself out of this situation." he went on, unpleasantness increasing. "I bargained a high price defecting, and I am going to pay for it whether I have the money or not." he sighed, figuratively.

"I may be able to ask the Volakas to help you." Marci suggested.

"I highly doubt the spirits of Primeve will help me now." he said doubtly.

"But Itward! You are the kindest soul who ever existed! You've helped so many people! What would they do without you? What would I do?!" she exclaimed.

"I know that you and Fran and so many others will suffer because of this." he hung his head. "But, I-it's inevitable, even if you delay them, they will catch me." Marci was silent again for a moment before she asked.

"Do you know when they might come for you?"

"I have estimated approximately eight days... I am very sorry, I should have told you sooner, but... I was... scared." Itward whimpered and wrapped his arms around his legs and curled up into a ball.

"Oh, Itward. I know how hard it is for you to admit that you are afraid." she comforted and laid her fingers on his hand with a gentle smile.

"I am so afraid... I'm making myself feel sick." he shuddered uncontrollably.

"You are alright, I promise. I care about you, Fran cares about you, so many care about you." Marci said softly.

"But I don't want anyone to be worried about me... You're all so much more important than I..."

"Nonsense. Don't even think such things, Itward. You are special to all of us because you are our faithful, unconditional friend. You are always there to help us." she consolidated. "It's time that we help you, my friend." Itward straightened himself up again, he  clasped both of his hands around her's. He smiled faintly. I couldn't ask for anything more. He thought. His first friend in the world, Marci meant everything to him back then and now after so many years.

"Thank you for the kind words, Marci. I really mean it." Itward said wholeheartedly, feeling his spirits lift some. "I believe it is time I return that hug." And he wound his arms around her. He sighed, calmed at the familiarity of it. In his arms she felt so warm.

"... Mmf!! -Tward! I ant reathe!" Marci gasped.

"Sorry! Sorry." he said and loosened his inadvertent death grip.

"Ah, that's better." she said. "I don't mind if you hug me, but squeezing all the air out of my lungs is not really appreciated."

"I said I was sorry!"

"I know, I was only kidding!" she laughed and Itward smiled once again. "There we go! That's what we needed! Put that big grin back on your face!" 

"You cheer me up, what can I say?" Itward shrugged.

"You know what wouldn't make you happy?" she said and plucked Itward's top hat from his head.

"Hey!" he made a reach for it, then drew back. Marci flipped the hat upside-down. He knew what was coming. "Don't you do it. Do not." That mischief gleaming in her eyes. Oh no. "Marci...!" she waved her hand over the opening then quickly stuffed her whole arm in. His hat seemingly sucked her into it, and she was gone. The hat dropped and landed sideways on the floor. It shuddered when, out tumbled a furry cream colored ball of fur with long ears. Rabbit! He paid no time shooting down the hall and hiding in the shadows. Marci also popped out wearing the hat on her head. 

"Come on, Itward! You're not scared of this cute little bunny are you?!" mock innocence dripped from her words. She picked up the rabbit and started petting it. "Where are you...? Aha! There you are!" Itward tightly shut his glowing eyes. She'd seen his eyes! Now she was silently creeping towards him with that evil creature! He had no idea of knowing how close Marci was because you could never hear her footsteps. Itward was starting to panic, the suspense was rising in him and he felt his teeth chattering. Instantly he clamped his jaw down hard. It was too quiet for several moments. It felt too much for him. Leporiphobia was the fear of rabbits, and Itward himself suffered from that particular phobia very badly.

"Marci, please get rid of that thing!" he begged, still refusing to open his eyes.

"Why?" she whispered too close for comfort. Itward jumped and went into a panic-stricken state.

"Please just get that rabbit away from me!! Do it, PLEASE!!!!!" he backed up and bumped against two walls. Trapped.

"Alright, don't have to ask me twice." she said and proceeded to put the rabbit back in Itward's hat.

"No!" he snatched it away and shook it vigorously, expecting more rabbits to fall out. "That was IN there!?"

"No, I just conjured one inside your hat." she said and winked innocently. The rabbit disappeared from her hands in a cloud of smoke. 

"Why do I still like you?" he asked annoyed and returned the hat to his head. She just laughed. "Don't do that ever again." 

"I promise." she promised and simultaneously held her right arm up to the Great Volakas. "Cheer up, Itward. Rabbits from the Third Reality can't hurt you, I've told you this about a trillion times!"

"How do you know that? For all we know they could be cold-blooded killers with a taste for flesh!" He whined.

"You are a skeleton. Why would anything want to eat a skeleton? You're just bones!" Marci said sarcastically.

"But they will crack my bones and eat my marrow! Have you seen their teeth!?" Itward shuddered at the thought.

"I think you'll be okay." she said and headed back towards the living room.

 

     Dear Itward.

  Hello! Today I went out with Mr. Midnight and Palontras. I don't know when we'll get back so sorry if I'm not here!!

                             Love,  
                             Fran.

Itward peeled the letter off Fran's door after he read it, folded up the piece of paper and stored it in his pocket to dispose of later. He smiled, Fran did not have the greatest penmanship nor spelling and grammar capabilities, but she did not misspell any of her friends names, including his own. 

"Ah, perhaps Palontras is instructing Fran on reading Ithernish." he murmured to no one in particular. Palontras's company was enjoyable, he disliked any sort of fighting (much like Itward). He was also known in multiple realities for being an extremely accomplished, magical healer. Seeming as no one else was there, Itward began to make some repairs and adjustments to his Flying Machine. Several hours passed with efficient progress, as he was gifted in mechanical and electronic engineering, which he took great pride in. He had always enjoyed tinkering and discovering how certain bits of machinery functioned and for what purpose. Suddenly feeling eyes boring into the back of his skull, he froze and turned around slowly. There it was again. Sitting on the shelf behind him was that toy rabbit Fran kept moving just to, well, TOY with him. He knew that she didn't mean any real harm but he still did not like that plush rabbit, it gave Itward the jitters. He stared at it uncertainly. He wished that he could make things disappear in a cloud of smoke like Marci could. Instead he extended his arm towards it and using his powers made it fall over backwards. Good, now that rabbit is not staring at me. Itward thought with an exhale of breathe and continued tightening a loose bolt on the engine with a silver wrench. Stepping back to admire his work, he nodded in satisfaction. Finished. He thought to himself. This will surely double if not triple the efficiency of the engine and lessen the consumption of fuel twice as less. He began to tidy up some loose bolts and his tools when, suddenly, there was a knock on the steel door of the flying machine. 

"Hello, Itward! It's me Fran!" Itward heard her voice from outside. He got up and opened the door.

"Fran, what a surprise. I was not expecting you for a while yet." he said.

"When we're you thinking I'd get back? 2:35?" she teased.

"You are never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Nope!" she chirped. "Hey that looks new!" she skipped up to the newly built adjustments. "What did you make?"

"Just some add-ons, my dear. Hopefully this will make the engine run better and use less fuel." he replied, delighted at her curiosity.

"So it won't crash again and you have to build a whole new flying machine?" Fran asked.

"Yes I won't have to crash land again... Probably... I hope, pray that it works." he said skeptically, remembering the night when Kamalas attacked and destroyed important parts to the ship. It began losing altitude... He shivered, he had some chips in his bones from that event.

"Itward, come with me I have something to show you!" she said and, taking his hand, lead him outside. He saw Mr. Midnight nervously passing a paw over his ear and Palontras circling overhead carrying a sack of unknown objects inside, clearly struggling to fly and hold on to it. 

"Oooooh! It's too heavy! I'm gonna fall!" Palontras cried as the bag started to slip from his white and tan arms.

"Land, Palontras! Land!" Fran called with alarm as the flying axolotl began to spiral downward too fast for comfort. He dropped the sack about eleven feet up, by accident or on purpose. He landed safely on the grass and stretched his arms.

"I'll never lift anything ever again!" Palontras whimpered. 

"What is in it, Fran?" Itward asked.

"Rocks!" she interjected. "Lots and lots of colorful rocks!" she pulled off a string that was holding the bag shut. It promptly fell over, spilling it's contents over the ground.

"... They are very colorful, Fran. But what will you do with them all?" Itward asked in shock after blinking in disbelief.

"We are going to give them to the Mountain Kotrem!" she answered ecstatically.

"No! I can't lift that bag again! Please don't make me!" Palontras cried, making the Puppy Eyes at all of them.

"But then how are we supposed to get them up there?" Fran asked. Mr. Midnight looked up at Itward for an answer. 

"Perhaps you flew the rocks over in multiple trips?" Itward thought out loud. "It may take a bit longer, but it will put less strain on Palontras and make him able to fly faster without being overburdened."

"Oh thank you!!!" Palontras was overjoyed.

"Hey, that's a good idea!" Mr. Midnight said as Fran began to sift through the pile of rainbow-assorted stones. She snatched one up.

"Found it!" she exclaimed and hurried to Itward. She gave the rock to him. It was shiny and smooth and almost a circle but not quite.

"It's yellow! How did you know yellow was my favorite color?" he asked her, pleased.

"It reminded me of your eyes! There's a smaller one for Mr. Midnight too! Here, flip it over." The other side bore a jet black streak that resembled Itward's pupil.

"It does look like my eye." he said and held it up in place of his eye, which made Fran giggle.

"If you ever lost an eye, you could use the rock instead!" Mr. Midnight suggested and failed to stifle a mrrow of laughter.

"Well, I am not certain how I would ever lose an eye. But I guess it would fix that problem until I got it fixed." Itward mused jokingly and stored the stone in his pocket.

"But how would you get your eye back? You don't grow new ones do you?! That would be weird." Mr. Midnight asked. Itward paused before he answered.

"I-I would just go to Palontras! He would heal me! That's what I meant." he felt a sinking feeling in his "stomach". Itward would sooner go to Marci than Palontras. Nothing against him of course, he was just closer with Marci and trusted her more. Way to blow your cover, Itward. He thought and plastered a smile on his face. One slip like that and people will start to suspect something.

"Yellow is a funny color, why is it your favorite?" Fran asked.

"Because it's very bright and cheerful." he answered. Because it's the color of Marci's eyes. He thought.

"Okay!" Fran said. "Palontras, are you ready to put Itward's plan into action?" Palontras made a face that looked like he discovered he was to be dipped into a pot of boiling oil.

"C-can't we do it tomorrow?!" He suggested urgently. Fran looked like she was about to protest when Mr. Midnight interrupted.

"Maybe we should let him take a nice long cat nap and tomorrow if he feels any better he can help us then?" 

"Mr. Midnight is right, Fran. If Palontras carries all of those rocks today, he may be too tired to help anyone tomorrow that needs him." Itward pointed out. Palontras flashed him a grateful look and Itward winked back. 

"I'm not even going to get up! I'll just sleep right here!" Palontras proclaimed.

"Me too!" Mr. Midnight purred and curled up next to the fluffy axolotl.

"But it's not even bedtime yet!" Fran complained. "The sun hasn't gone completely down yet!"

"And besides, none of you have eaten yet." Itward stated.

"Hm, now that you mention it, I am getting pretty hungry." Fran noticed.

"Ugh, I'm too tired to eat!" Palontras cried and punctuated his sentence by planting his face in the dirt.

"What would you like to eat, Fran?" Itward asked.

"What do I want, maybe..." Fran left off.

"Fish!!" Mr. Midnight exploded, eyes glittering.

"You always want fish!" Fran giggled.

"Nuh uh! Sometimes I want chicken!" Mr. Midnight exclaimed.

"How about we see what's in the fridge you would like?" Itward proposed.

"Okay!" They chimed in unison.


	3. Abandon

"Marci, I've decided something." Itward said.

"What do you need, my friend?" Marci asked. He looked at her, yellow eye to yellow eye. They could both see very well in the dark.

"When I am gone, will you please watch Fran for me? I need someone to keep her safe, and I don't know anyone more suited for that than you." Itward said. He wished he had never been forced to say the words. He had promised to take care of Fran, and now he was breaking that promise. It was a horrible feeling, like he was being torn apart from the inside.

"Of course I will." Marci replied.

"It means a lot to me that you'd do this." he sighed.

"You don't even need to ask. Just say the word and I will." she vowed.

"I am going to send Fran to you. Meet her at St. Grace's. Do you remember how I described her?" 

"Brown bobbed hair, blue eyes. Yellow dress with a blue bow, black and white striped stockings. Plus she has a black cat with yellow eyes." Marci recited.

"Yes that's it." Itward confirmed. Marci often did volunteer work at Saint Grace's Orphanage. It was not an evil place, but it was very understaffed, which made taking care of the orphans much harder. 

"Keep an eye out for her. If she isn't there in a few days, Fran may have decided to stay with Palontras." he said. "I am also going to give this stone to you." He pressed the yellow and black rock into Marci's hands. "She may need proof that you are my friend."

"I will do it." Marci promised.

"Thank you, Marci. You have no idea how much this all means to me." Itward said meaningfully.

"I think I do, my friend." she replied in earnest.

"I mean it. Thank you for everything you've ever done for me. I couldn't have asked for a better friend to put my faith in than you." his eyes began to water again. "I don't know how many times I've said it, but I've meant every word. Marci, I love you."

"I know that! I love you too, Itward and I will remember you forever!" she cried.

"I will always think of you. My memories will give me hope even in the bleakest of times." Itward whispered. He cleared his head, and had a shocking realization. "Marci! I feel as though time is running out. I don't mean to be blunt but I must see Fran!"

"Can I come with you?" she asked meekly.

"No, I need you to wait here for Fran."

"Then go, Fran needs you!" Marci said. Itward jumped up and hurried to the door. He stepped outside with a ominous feeling. In her yard he paused. Turning around he saw Marci's outline in the door frame.

"Farwell, my dear." he called and continued into the night.

 

"Look! See? I told you the view was way better from up here!" Fran called.

"You can see for miles." Itward commented, slightly in awe. They stood up on a ridge line not far from Fran's house. This spot showed the whole kingdom spread out in front of them. The sun was now beginning to set, casting vibrant and yet subtle shades of pink and orange across the sky. It stained the landscape in its golden glow. He wished he could've painted a picture of the scene in front of them, instead he engraved the image in his mind.

"Down there is the marketplace and over to the right is the castle." Fran identified. In the distance, you could just barely see the last Itherstians scurrying around, out before they went in for the night.

"They look like bugs." Itward pointed out with humor playing across his face.

"Lots of them ARE bugs!" Fran said.

"I know, I was only making a joke."

"Hey wait for me!" Mr. Midnight called as he finally made it up the slope next to them. "Whoo! I thought I'd never catch up with you." They all sat, enjoying the view. As pretty as it was, Itward was trying to work up his courage to tell Fran of his situation.

"Itward! Are you okay? You look so sad!" Fran said concerned.

"I..." Itward sighed. "I am, Fran."

"Do you want to tell me what's wrong?"

"I wish I did not have to." He began slowly, unsure of how to word his information. "Fran you must not worry about me. The truth is that I must leave for a while. You will not see of me for... I wish I could be telling you otherwise." Itward starting to become frantic, borderlining on hysterics. "When that occurs, I need you to find my friend, Marcicello. She lives in the third reality in a place called Corpaville, Colorado. She promised to take care of you for a while, for me."

"I-Itward you're scaring me!" Fran said, frightened and very jumbled from all of that being thrust at her so suddenly. Itward flinched at her response.

"Aww, Fran! It'll be okay! Itward told me all about it!" Mr. Midnight lied to protect him, which Itward was grateful for. "And besides, I'll be there with you Fran. Itward would never want to do anything to hurt you, you know that!" 

"I-I am sorry... I should not have thrust that at you all at once..." he apologized quietly. Fran looked up at him in shock. Itward never did anything that he'd need to apologize for. "But please, this is of utmost importance. You must find Marci..." he turned away, unable to look them in the eyes, heart breaking at what he must do. Fran wrapped her small arms around her friend in a hug and Mr. Midnight placed his paw on Itward's knee.

"We'll do it!" Fran promised with determination.

"It's okay, Itward! When you come back we'll have a big party for you!" Mr. Midnight mewed and nuzzled Itward's jacket with a purr.

"T-thank you my friends..." Itward tried to smile weakly, but tears spilled down his cheeks instead. 

"Are you crying?!" Mr. Midnight jumped up, bewildered. 

"N-No! It's raining!" he choked. How had he become so weak? He'd never cried this often in his entire life. Itward hated the helplessness that plagued his heart.

"Poor Itward! He tries so hard to make everyone happy, no one notices that he is sad!" Fran gasped in realization. She hugged her friend tighter.

"Please don't cry! We'll try to make you feel better, too!" Mr. Midnight mewed.

"Yes! We will make Itward feel happy again next time!" Fran promised. His poor heart, he couldn't take this, it was the worst pain he'd ever felt. Itward scooped his friends into his arms and held them closely, silently sobbing over Fran's shoulder.

"... I thank you for your efforts, my dear, but... I fear there may not be a next time..." he murmered quietly in grief. Why was this so much harder than it needed to be? The girl and cat didn't understand, how could they? But they tried to comfort him as best they could. The light had faded, the sky had grown a deep blue, almost black speckled with starry patterns unmarked from clouds. There was no current present in Ithersta but he felt as though precious time was being lost... Time?

"...Does anyone have the time?" he asked with a jolt, suddenly alarmed. 

"Um." Fran replied.

"Night-time?" Mr. Midnight suggested. "Don't you usually have a watch, Itward?" That was correct, he had a gold watch pinned to his suit. How dumb of him to forget. Itward disengaged himself for a moment to check the time.

"9:57 p.m. That's past your bedtime." He noted hollowly. The trio returned to Fran's house where he tucked them in bed, wished them both sweet dreams and departed. However, Itward felt no desire to leave yet, the night was just too soothing and peaceful for his numb soul. Outside, he stared up at the full moon and stars that speckled the sky. Their pale light shone down, casting everything in a soft whiteness. They always caused him to feel very small, but never alone. It was as though someone was watching over him. Even without the light he would've seen perfectly in the gloom, Marci's and his night vision was superb. 


	4. Disappear

Itward stood for quite some time outside of Fran's house. He was at least sixty yards from it and standing on the edge of the ridge, he gazed out into the night. A light breeze carried the whispers of the wind from afar, gently rustling the green spring leaves of trees and bushes. From where he stood on the ridge line, Itward could see so much. The castle where King Ziar of Ithersta lived, Palontras's Great Volakas Island, the marketplace, the ocean, Mount Kotrem, all was visible in the pale moonlight. It couldn't be more peaceful, and Itward felt, for once in a long time, calm and peaceful. He was continuing to enjoy the night, when he felt a slight change in the atmosphere, it was ever so faint. As if an open space was filled by an unkown presence, seemingly disrupting the night. The calming, safe sounds of the night had been silenced, casting an eeriness to the area. Someone had entered the realm of Ithersta. The presence seemed to be growing, possibly more than one entity finding its way to Ithersta. The feeling was sickening, no, this was not a group of newly created Volakas. This was something sinister and twisted. Itward now realized that he had misjudged the arrival of the party of Fourth Worlders by many days. Panic seized his heart in it's icy, unforgiving, thorn-sharp claws. It was too late. They were dangerously close by now, they knew he was here, they had known as soon as they entered Ithersta. The severity of the situation was increasing. Until...

"You." A single word, churred in a language he had abandoned so long ago, now chilled him to the bone at its use. The skeletons were behind him, no doubtly carrying lethal weapons."By the High King's word you are to be arrested for committing high treason against your homeworld and abandoning clear and significant orders given to you by your commanding officer. What say you in your defense?" Itward did not turn to look at them, he continued to stare towards the moon and the stars.

"You are not my people. That is not my home." he stated in the skeletal language. He faced them now, yellow eyes blazing in the night. "I am Itward the Creature of the Night." They drew back slightly at the sight of his eyes, never had they seen a skeleton with yellow eyes, they were always red. The party of eighteen was armed to the teeth, ready to leap into battle with a single word.

"Why do you wear that? What purpose is your existence without any orders?" the skeleton in charge snarled..

"You are but lowly ants, always doing what you are told and nothing else. You are nothing to the whole picture." Despite the unwavering of his voice, Itward was trying very hard not to show his fear. I am doomed, I cannot fight them all by myself... Can I come with you? Marci's question echoed in his mind. I wish I would've told her to come with me. He deeply regretted his mistake.

"You are one lonely rogue. No purpose to serve, and for what? The extended years of your life have been wasted, you're past your fighting prime. They should have broken you when they had the chance!" The leader was insane, they all were. Fran! They might hurt Fran! He mustn't let them touch her.

"Am I past due, or is my chance to prove myself only beginning?" Itward clicked. That seemed to anger them. Frustrated, the leader snapped.

"Surround Execute!" the armed skeletons fanned out slowly, weapons drawn and trained on Itward's skull.  He did not move yet.

"Capture him." the first lunged towards him, his spear firmly grasped in both hands. He shot towards Itward, who whipped his arm out and the skeleton flew off the cliff with a bone piercing scream.

"RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH!!!!!"the advancing skeletons froze, stunned at his display of power. Their anger turned to rage and two more of them ran at him from both sides. He threw one of them through the air, colliding with the skeleton on the left. There wears a series of sickening snaps and the left soldier fell under the weight of the other, his ankle cracking and other bones under the pressure. He cried out in pain. Itward felt shocked at what he'd done. He had caused the death of a person and severely maimed another. He remembered something he had been told very long ago. 'The second you do the things the enemy does, you are no better. You become just like the ones you are fighting.' He remembered that from a very long time ago. What have I done?! He froze in horror.

"Fran, wake up! I heard something bad!" Mr. Midnight hissed while prodding Fran.

"Huh?" she said half-asleep.

"I heard someone scream! Someone's in trouble Fran, we have to help them!" 

"A scream?! Kitty are you sure?" she got up and fumbled with the laces of her brown boots in the dark, trying to tie them in a hurry.

"Yes! I'm sure what I heard!" Mr. Midnight and Fran ran towards the door. Outside in the night they saw the fray. There were many skeletons with weapons and they seemed to be fighting another skeleton... With yellow eyes and a top hat and suit...

"Oh no!! Mr. Midnight, I think they're trying to kill Itward!" she gasped.

"You're right, that is Itward! He needs help! Fran he's losing!" they sprinted as fast as they could to help their friend. When they were within earshot, Mr. Midnight caterwauled to distract them. Fran screamed.

"You leave Itward alone!!!!!" the attacking skeletons turned to face their new opponent. Itward made a horrified expression.

"Fran!!! Run away! Get away from here it's too-" Itward was caught off guard as a skeleton with red eyes slammed him to the ground. He grappled with it, trying to throw the other off. He broke free of the skeleton and stood for a moment when, another came up behind him and roundhouse kicked Itward in the skull. His hat went flying and he fell to the ground in front of Fran with a thud. Three skeletons tied Itward's hands and feet together while he laid on the ground unconscious. The remaining looked like they wanted to attack Fran and Mr. Midnight. One of them who was hanging back made a strange churring clicking sound. They ignored the girl and the cat seemingly following orders and shoved a long wooden pole between Itward's bound limbs. Then the skeleton who had made the weird noise activated some strange device, and they all disappeared in a flash.

"I-Itward?" Fran stuttered. She saw her vision get all blurry and her cheeks became wet. 

"We-we were too late!" Mr. Midnight yowled. Fran cradled her cat as they huddled in the yard. Fran weeped at the loss of her friend while Mr. Midnight started mewling like a kitten. A million unasked, terrible questions hung in the air above their heads like hundreds of biting flies, ready to swarm them at any second. 

"Mr. Midnight, w-what are we going to do?" she sniffed, quaking in a ball with her cat, on the ground. Suddenly, a shadow whipped over them from above. They looked up, frightened only to find Palontras swirling down towards them.

"What happened? I heard the sound of a fight and I sensed great anguish over this place." He asked urgently. Seeing Fran and Mr. Midnight shuddering with tears in their eyes, his voice grew soft and consoling. "Oh dear, are any of you hurt?" he asked, landing on the grass and wrapping his long fluffy tail around them. Fran shook her head, she was clearly in shock. Palontras wiped the tears from her cheek. "Don't cry, little Fran. Everything is going to be alright." he soothed.

"Palontras... It's Itward, he's... He's been captured!" Mr. Midnight mewled. Palontras gasped.

"How did that happen? Can you tell me?" he asked quietly. Mr. Midnight began to blurt out what had happened. With him hearing a scream and seeing their friend outnumbered and fighting for his life. Palontras's eyes widened. He hadn't the slightest idea as to why this would have occurred.

"Palontras... Itward told us something would happen to him, that he would have to go away. He didn't want to say much about it and it was making him very sad..." Fran muttered.

"How sad was he?" Palontras asked.

"Itward started crying!" Mr. Midnight exclaimed. No one had ever seen Itward that upset as to move him to tears. It was Palontras's turn to be stunned.

"He told us to find someone when it happened. He said she was in the Third Reality. Argh, I don't remember what her name was." Fran said. "Dang it! What was her name?"

"I think it started with an 'M' didn't it?" Mr. Midnight pondered. "Did Itward ever tell you about any of his other friends?" they looked up at Palontras meekly.

"I don't recall Itward ever saying much about his personal life other than what is common knowledge at this point." Palontras said, giving them no leads. "I am very sorry that I am no help." Fran and Mr. Midnight still looked very shaken and disturbed. I would like to keep an eye out for them tonight, to make sure they came out of shock.

"I'm scared, those other skeletons looked very mean. They might hurt Itward." Fran whimpered.

"What if they come back?!" Mr. Midnight cried.

"Would you like me to stay the night with you?" Palontras asked concerned. They nodded, and Fran said.

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep Palontras." 

"I don't think so either." Mr. Midnight agreed.

"I can make it so you fall asleep." Palontras suggested. "Would you both like that?" 

"Yes." Fran replied and stood up unsteadily. She walked over to where Itward's hat lay on the ground. She picked it up and walked back to them, feeling numb.

She dreamed. It was very dark. She strained her eyes wide to make any shape of the inky blackness. Suddenly an image of a door flashed brightly in front of her. It's surface was stark white and faintly glowing. In the gloom, a soft, rich voice called out. 

My dear friend do not wait,  
You must go and cross the Gate.

The door opened to reveal a very white girl stepping out of it. She had bobbed hair and was wearing a dress that came down to her knees. At her feet was a cat with a white outline around it, following the girl. 

A ray of light shone down on them. The girl smiled and looked at the cat, who stared up at her with large white eyes. They looked happy.

The light, it will surround you so,       do not fear it's yellow glow. 

The girl and her cat faded away and was replaced by a tall figure dressed to the nines. His head and shoulders bowed, as if in guilt or great sorrow. He was turned away from view.

And though I cannot say the same,  
I must accept and receive my blame.

The figure disappeared and the girl and cat returned. They were running. The cat sprinted just ahead of the girl.

The herald's call has me chased,  
And I alone with my haste,  
Must be sure that you escape.

The pair vanished quickly and was replaced by the tall figure once more. He was boldly, valiantly facing warriors wielding spears who appeared to preparing to attack.

The hunters goal in all is plain,  
They will capture him in vain.

White canines leapt through the image, dispersing it to dust. Saliva poured from their parted jaws, ears turned back and snarling as they lunged. The large lupine creatures gathered before the tall man. His courage failed and his original nature retuned.

The wolves, their claws will tear apart,                                         And surely break his fragile Heart.

The disembodied voice suddenly became hushed and it echoed as if far away. It's calm tone changed from oddly calm to paniced and desperate. The girl and cat came back. They were sitting together. A tall skeleton was with them, a pained expression on his pale white skull. The girl hugged him and he... Just... Slowly faded... Into darkness.

And though I shall be far from thee,

My final wish to you I plead,

Please don't ever

       Forget

                   About

                                  Me...


	5. They Left

In the morning, Fran, Mr. Midnight, and Palontras were outside discussing Itward's strange directions. 

"Where is the person you are supposed to meet in the Third Reality?" Palontras asked.

"He said something like an orphanage called St. Grace's." Fran frowned, she remembered how her aunt Grace had tried to kill her with Dr. Oswald. After Fran had trusted her so much, thought she would take care of her, loved her...

"Where is this Orphanage?" Palontras asked.

"I think it was in Colorado, a town called 'Cobraville'... Oops that's not right." Fran said shaking her head. "Um, Mr. Midnight, do you remember?"

"Itward said 'Corpaville'." The black cat meowed.

"Corpaville, Colorado. That was it!" Fran exclaimed.

"What is this person supposed to do with you?" Palontras asked.

"He said she was going to watch us until Itward came back..." Fran trailed off. The way it looked last night, maybe Itward wasn't ever coming back...

"I could take care of you just as good." Palontras suggested. "Plus, you don't even know this person."

"I thought of that. But if Itward wanted us to go to her instead of you, he must have had a reason." Fran explained. "He would never send us into the unknown unless he knew we were going to be safe with her."

"I think you may be right, Fran." Palontras said, lost in thought for a moment. "Are you sure you want to go back to the Third Reality though?"

"I am a little scared, but I won't be alone." she hugged Mr. Midnight. "My kitty will be there with me."

"I promise I will stay with you, Fran!" Mr. Midnight purred happily.

"Did Itward say when you should leave " Palontras asked.

"He said we should go very soon after he left." Fran responded. "What do you think, Mr. Midnight. Should we go today?"

"I think so." Mr. Midnight mewed. "Another adventure!"

"Yeah! Who know what might happen?" Fran jumped up excitedly.

"We should pack some stuff to take with us!" Mr. Midnight suggested. He paused for a moment. "Palontras, what do you think of this?"

"I do not think this is a good idea." Palontras sighed. "But, I trust MOST of Itward's decisions. I won't try to stop you." 

"Hooray!" Fran cheered. "Palontras, will you ask the Great Wizard to open the portal?" she gave the Pocket Time Watch that Cogwind had made to Palontras.

"Yes I will." he said.

"Thank you." she replied and the pair went inside to grab some essentials to bring with them. Fran went into her room. Inside of a drawer in her nightstand, she took out the red purse that once belonged to her mother. She felt a pang of loneliness at the thought of her parents who were brutally murdered by Remor the Terrible Black. Fran took a calming breath and cleared her head of such things. What was important now was finding the woman Itward told them to, and they needed to be prepared for anything. Already inside of her purse was the knife she had used to get her blood to cast a magic spell on the twins, Clara and Mia. The knife had long since been washed of her blood. Fran hadn't known that the spell would kill them, she didn't want to hurt anybody but it had to have been done. She left her room and journeyed into the kitchen where she gathered some non-perishable foods like chocolate bars, a jar of extra-crunchy peanut butter and a few cans of meat-filled raviolis for Mr. Midnight. Maybe I should bring something to drink, too. Fran thought and grabbed a reusable plastic water bottle and filled it up in the sink. Mr. Midnight entered the kitchen.

"Did you think of anything else to pack?" Fran asked him.

"Hm, maybe we should bring some matches? We may need to cook something. And what about a blanket?" He suggested.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Fran said. "Oh, I think we ought to bring this First-Aid Kit, and a compass, too."

"Yeah, what if someone gets hurt? Good thinking, Fran!" Mr. Midnight said with a wave of his tail. "Is that everything?" Fran paused, trying to see if they needed anything else.

"I think we should bring Itward's top hat." she said. And scurried into the living room to grab it. When they were all packed and ready to leave, Fran and Mr. Midnight went outside. Palontras was waiting to take them to King Ziar's castle where the portal to the Third Reality was.

"Are you all set?" Palontras asked.

"Yep! We're all ready!" Fran replied.

"Then hop on." he said. Fran and Mr. Midnight climbed on top of his fluffy, white head. They began to rise up into the air as Palontras became airborne. The buildings and denizens of Ithersta looked impossibly small as they soared through the sky. Fran became a little dizzy at the height, but she clung on tightly. As the castle loomed closer, she thought of her friends from Ithersta she would have to leave. Fran would miss them but she just KNEW she'd be back.

"We are almost there!" Palontras had to shout to keep his voice from being whisked away by the howling wind. Finally, they stopped when they reached the castle balcony. As Fran and Mr. Midnight hopped off with semi-wobbly knees, Palontras said. 

"Thank you for flying Air Palontras. We hope your flight was enjoyable and that we'll see you very soon." Fran hugged Palontras.

"Thank you so much! We'll miss you, Palontras!" she said.

"I will miss you, too! Just don't forget about me!" he exclaimed, seeming a bit sad that Fran and Mr. Midnight were leaving.

"Of course we won't!" Mr. Midnight assured and nuzzled Palontras's face.

"Fran?" King Ziar had came out on the balcony behind them.

"Hello, sir!" she said.

"What is this I here from the Great Wizard that you need to travel to the Third Reality?" he asked.

"Oh well you see, last night Itward was captured by a bunch of mean skeletons and before he told us we needed to find a person in the Third Reality because he had to leave. I think this is what he meant so, we packed up a bunch of stuff, and Palontras flew us here and now we are having this conversation." Fran blurted.

"Oh, my! That's terrible news!" he gasped in shock. "I hope you find the person you are looking for!"

"I hope so too!" she said.

"When will you be back?" Kind Ziar asked.

"Oh um... I'm not sure. Soon I think." she answered.

"Hello, Fran!" the Great Wizard came huffing out of breath. "Hoo, I hope I am not late?"

"Nope! We just got here." she responded.

"That's good." he wheezed. "But why has Palontras rushed to me asking me to open the Portal?" Fran explained again about Itward wanting them to find a person and then being captured. 

"-we need you to open the portal so we can go to the Third Reality to find her!" Fran finished.

"That's horrible! I do hope he is alright!" The Great Wizard said. "Who is the person you are looking for?"

"Uh, well, we um... Forgot her name." she mumbled. "We are pretty sure it started with an 'M' and it was also a strange sounding name."

"Hmm, the only human names I remember that start with 'M' are: Maizy, Mary, Madison, Melenie, Maura, Mairead, Marcy, Maria, Mia, Maxine, Maya, and Madeline." The Great Wizard stated. That was probably the only thing he remembered. "Almost all of those are normal human names, however."

"Ooh! Fran I think it was a 'Marcy' that we are supposed look for!" Mr. Midnight exclaimed.

"Yes! And didn't Itward say it really weird? Like it wasn't exactly an 's' sound or a 'sh' sound, but kinda in the middle." Fran said excitedly. "Well, Itward DOES have a weird way of saying things, what is that called?"

"An accent?" King Ziar answered. "Itward comes from the Fourth Reality and I am certain they have a different language. Naturally, he has a very different accent than any I've ever heard."

"I've never heard him speak in that language though." Palontras said.

"Maybe it's like being British, or American, or Australian." Fran suggested. "They all speak the same language but they have different accents!" The King, Wizard, and Palontras had no idea what she was actually talking about but just agreed anyway. 

"Why did Itward want you to go to this 'Marcy'? Why can't you just stay here?" The Great Wizard pondered.

"We're not sure, sir, but we promised him we would do it." Mr. Midnight explained.

"I take it then you are leaving now." King Ziar said.

"Yes, sir. We have to leave right away. Itward said to." Fran replied.

"Very well." The Great Wizard said. He raised his arms. "The human must leave! Reveal the door with the lock only she can break!" A rustic, wooden door appeared in the air by the balcony. Fran went over to it and connected all the magic stones together making the Star of Ithersta. The door opened and the portal was ready for use. Many people of Ithersta had apparently heard the news and were starting to gather on the balcony.

"Goodbye everyone! I'll miss you!" Fran said and gave each of her friends a hug.

"Fran." Palontras said. "If you ever need to summon me, speak the words; 'Ekto bro. Ekto prote. Palontras monakaist'."

"Got it! I'll remember that!" she said and with Mr. Midnight, they headed for the door.

"Stay away from Kamalas, Fran!"

"Come back soon!"

"We'll miss you, Fran!"

"I love you, Mr. Midnight!!!"

The many Itherstians called and cheered to them as they stepped through the portal and into the Secret Woods. This was not a happy place like Ithersta, the Secret Woods was dark and overgrown, there were shadows following you. You could hear the sounds of distant cries of agony and voices whispering behind you. When you turned to look, there was no one there.

"We have to run fast! Go!" she whispered at the sound of the slow, pounding footsteps in the distance grew louder until a large lumbering form could be seen through the trees. Mr. Midnight and Fran pelted away, leaping over rocks and deadfall. She glanced over her shoulder at the monster chasing them. It's grey skin was covered in moss and lichen and appeared to have plants growing in its greasy, tangled hair. You mean troll! Don't chase us billy goats! Fran thought while they continued to run through the woods. Up ahead, there was a clearing and in a beam of weak light, was a door that lead to the Third Reality.

"We're almost there!" Mr. Midnight panted as he ran in front of her. The two reached the door, flung it open and jumped inside. Fran concentrated very hard that they needed to go to Corpaville, Colorado. The girl and cat launched out the other side into the Third Reality.


	6. Far Away

The door closed behind them and disappeared, it was actually just invisible and you'd only know it was there if you knew where to look.

"Are we here?" Fran asked.

"Did you think really hard about where we wanted to be?" Mr. Midnight asked with a cock of his head.

"Yes I did." Fran nodded. "I hope it worked." She surveyed the area around them. They appeared to be on the edge of a grove of fir trees. The needles muffled her footsteps. In front of them, lay an open expanse of grass and fences. This was a farm! Fran thought she could see a large horse galloping on the other side of the fence as the sun began to creep down towards the horizon. It had silver fur that gleamed brightly in the sun.

"Mr. Midnight, look! That horse has furry feet!" Fran noticed.

"He sure does. Thats a common characteristic of his species. Do you know what kind of horse that is?" Mr. Midnight asked quizzically.

"I don't know, tell me." she replied.

"That is a Clydesdale." He meowed pleased with himself.

"Okay...?" Fran didn't really know what that meant. "Lets go see if we can spot a town anywhere." They started walking towards the fence, determined to find Marcy. As they neared the fence, Fran soon realized it was too high and slippery to climb over. 

"I guess we go around then." she suggested and started walking parallel to the fence. A cloud slowly floated across the sun, dimming the rays that beat down on the land below. "Thank you, Sir Cloud." Fran said. The pasture was bigger than they originally thought and the going was very slow.

"I wish we had a bicycle so we could go faster." Mr. Midnight complained. The heat from the sun was absorbing into his dark black fur, making the poor cat miserable.

"I just wish the breeze would stop going away." she said. A huffing sound behind them startled her. Fran spun around, the horse had trotted up to them from inside the fence and was inspecting his unexpected guests.

"It looks way bigger up this close!" Mr. Midnight said amazed. The silver horse towered over the both of them by many feet, he was probably taller than Itward! He shook his mane of black fur and bent his head towards them.

"Do you want some food, horsey?" Fran asked and pulled a handful of long grass from the ground. She held it up to the horse who started to slowly gobble it up.

"Thank you, small Upwalker. That was mighty kind of you." the horse drawled. "Sometimes, I just don't want to bend my head to graze."

"You can talk?!" Mr. Midnight yelped in surprise.

"Well 've course I can talk. 'Speak rather fine, I reckon." He had a heavy country accent.

"Wow! I've never met a talking horse before! My name is Fran, and this is Mr. Midnight." Fran introduced.

"M' name's is Jango. It's been a pleasure meetin y'all." Jango said. 

"Nice to meet you, sir!" Fran said. "Do you know any cowboys?"

"None except my Upwalker." he gestured with his head towards a white farm house in the distance at the edge of the forest. "What are y'all doin out 'ere? I don't see your parents or anybody but yourselves."

"Oh, um, I don't have any parents." Fran said. "We are trying to find Corpaville. Do you know where it is, sir?"

"I reckon I do. Head east by northeast a few miles and you'll see the town from there." he turned and gestured with his head once more.

"But, sir! We might not make it there before the sun goes down!" Fran said and swallowed. If they were out after dark Kamalas might come and attack them.

"Well, I believe I 'an help you, little missy." he drawled. Jango paced back a few yards. Suddenly he launched towards the fence at a gallop and leapt over it like it was nothing. "I may be an older hoss but that aint gonna stop me from outpacin the foals." he layed down so that Fran and Mr. Midnight could climb onto his back. He stood up again and Fran almost lost her balance. She quickly wrapped her arms around Jango's strong neck to keep herself from falling off.

"Eep! I've never ridden a horse before!" she squeaked.

"A'right. Hold on with your knees as tight as possible and grab my mane if you're slippin'." he explained. "If you need me to stop real quick, shout; 'Whoa!' you got that?"

"Yes, sir." Fran said.

"Ah, shucks. No need to keep callin me 'sir' there little missy, I ain't nothing special."

"Yes, s- I mean- Jango." she corrected.

"Are y'all ready?" he asked.

"Yes we are!" Mr. Midnight said, balanced on Fran's lap.

"Yah!" Jango yelled and the galloped very fast, jumping over the fence like a hurtle and crossing the pasture in quick, large strides. The wind made Fran's hair whip behind her and she felt as though she were in a fairy tale movie, riding a majestic horse into the sunset.

"Whoa!! This is amazing!" Fran cheered, giddy with excitement. Jango slowed slightly and looked back at her. "Oops! Sorry I didn't mean stop!"

"That's a'right! Usually happens on peoples' first rides!" he called and continued running, hooves pounding rhythmically as they struck the dirt. Up ahead in the hazy distance, they neared the opposite fence. Jango hurtled towards it and leapt over it, too. Instead of stopping, however, he sprinted away from the farm and into a line of trees. There appeared to be a well worn trail that he was following, weaving between the trees. If they had, had a horse in the secret woods, the monster would never be able to get close to them. The Clydesdale lept over a small creek without breaking a stride.

"Mr. Midnight! This is incredible!" she couldn't get over the fact that they were riding a horse through the forest.

"I-I-I-I'm gla-a-ad you thi-ink so-o-o-o-o!!!" his voice was all bumpy from riding Jango. At last they broke the line of trees and down below, a sleepy, medium sized town lay at the bottom of some large hills.

"Alright, partners. This is where you can get off now." Jango said and crouched again. The two had wobbly knees from not being used to horseback riding. Mr. Midnight seemed very flustered.

"Thank you for bringing us here, Jango. You helped us a bunch!" Fran said and rubbed the horse's snout.

"You're mighty welcome, friends. Down 'ere's the town. Better hurry, the sun'll be setting soon. You don't wanna get caught by any Kamalas." he replied in his heavy accent. "Good luck and happy trails to ya. I better get back before Ol' Em notices I'm gone." he started to trot back they way he had come.

"Goodbye, Jango!" They called as he picked up his pace and disappeared behind the bushes, hoof steps growing softer. Mr. Midnight looked up at the sky. His eyes grew wide with alarm.

"Fran! The sun is going down! We have to hurry!" The sun had dipped below the horizon and the light was starting to fade, there were shadows emerging from everywhere. They both went as fast as they're unsteady legs could carry them down the hill. Fran tripped and rolled the rest of the way down the slope. She came to a stop beside a road, covered in dirt and dust. Mr. Midnight streaked as fast as possible to her.

"Oh my dear! Are you hurt?" he asked, panic rising in his voice. Fran checked herself over. Her knee and elbow were scraped but aside from that she was not injured, just shaken up.

"I think I'm okay, kitty." Fran cleared her head. The darkness was covering the sides of building and other structures. They had to find St. Graces and fast. She staggered to her feet and they scampered toward the nearest line of buildings. There were some people out on the streets walking around for there business. Fran walked up to a lady.

"Excuse me ma'am. Do you know where Saint Grace's Orphanage is?" Fran asked.

"My! Look at you! It appears you fell through a garden! What happened to you?" she asked in shock.

"I fell down a hill, but that's not important. Please ma'am, really need to know where St. Graces is. It's important." she begged.

"Yes I do. It's on Oliver Street you can see the steeple from here, but it's on the opposite side of town. It will be dark by the time you get there." she replied.

"Oh, that's what I was afraid of." Fran said. "Thank you!" they ran across the sidewalk towards the spire in the sky. The going was slow as they had to wait to cross the street for cars and as the time went by, the sun disappeared and the atmosphere of the town began to change.


	7. Where's the White Knight-?

The atmosphere of the town began to change. It seemed barren as there were less cars and all the people vanished. Streets light switched on above them, dispelling the inky blackness some but not quite driving it away. With out the warmth from the sun, the temperature began to drop more than they were used to. The wind cut through her like icicles, Fran's dress didn't cut the air at all. She should've remembered to bring a coat. Still they continued to jog through the town, not even caring about staying on the sidewalk. Up ahead, there appeared to be a burnt out street light. As Fran and Mr. Midnight passed through it, they heard a watery growl emerge from an alley.

"Run, Fran!" Mr. Midnight hissed as they both ran as fast as their short legs couldd go. Strange, alien, scary sounds followed them, more new horrifying noises began to chase them through the streets. The steeple was getting very close now as the zigzagged down the pavement. Still, the Kamalas began to gain on them, Fran glanced back towards them for a split second. Six hungry Kamalas were following them, each dark spirit was terrifyingly different but she hadn't looked long enough to see their appearances. Fran and Mr. Midnight felt their lungs ache and legs feel like jelly. They had to stop soon or they would give out, but if they stopped, the Kamalas would close in on them. In front of them, the Orphanage came into view, high steeple and all. They bolted to the door and tried the handle. It wouldn't budge.

"Mr. Midnight it's locked!" Fran cried in panic.

"Oh no! This is bad!" the black cat hissed as the two backed against the wall. One of the Kamalas had one bloodshot eye that was bleeding profusely. Another possessed a giant set of jaws with razor sharp teeth. The one next to it looked like half of its face had been torn off and hung by flesh and ligaments to its face. More and more Kamalas began to surround them, Fran and Mr. Midnight's only escape route had been blocked by the oily beings. We can't have made it this far to die! Fran started to cry as they shrunk against the wall. The Kamalas were so close, the stench of death was everywhere as they reached for them, arms outstretched and growling in there endless hunt for fresh victims. Fran shut her eyes tightly against the scene, waiting for cold dead hands to grab at her flesh. She was unable to keep her eyes closed. One of the Kamalas shot out towards her. Fran screamed.

"Help!!!" Suddenly, there was a soft thud and a flash of bright dazzling light. Fran looked and saw a lightning bolt had sliced through the Kamalas. She gasped as the horrid beings screamed in agony. A shadow danced in front of Fran, momentarily blocking the glowing streak left in the bodies of the dark spirits. There was a flash again as another bright lightning bolt slashed through the Kamalas. Fran caught sight of two luminescent globes of yellow. There was a light that came on above Fran and Mr. Midnight, that's when they caught sight of a tall figure between the Kamalas and the two.

"Keep away filthy beasts or I'll hunt down every last one of you!" A teenager had shouted at the Kamalas! A girl! They could hardly believe their eyes. The girl was not wearing a dress, which seemed inappropriate. She was very tall and in her hand she held a sword that appeared to be made of water! Her eyes were yellow too! What was stranger still, the Kamalas didn't reach forward to suck the life out of her, they shrank away, as if in fear. The teen smiled shrewdly and struck out again with her sword. The evil spirits were both enraged and fearful at the same time. This time, the Kamalas tried to overwhealm the girl. She lifted her arms quickly and all three of them we surrounded  in a bubble of water. The unknown girl turned towards them, she was smiling.

"Hey there, kiddo. You're safe now, okay?" she said warmly. The girl had a foreign air about her. She was very tall and had short brown hair. "My name is Marcicello, at your service." Fran was still shivering from her almost near-death experience. 

"How do we know we can trust you?" Mr. Midnight asked, trying to sound brave but instead squeaked shrilly.

"Ah, intuitive, thats a good quality to have. Here I'll show you." she said and reached in her pocket. She pulled her hand out and, resting in her palm was a smooth yellow and black stone.

"Thats the stone I gave Itward!" Fran said in surprise. "I-I'm Fran. It's nice t-to m-meet you." she stuttered and unsteadily rose to her feet.

"I'm Mr. Midnight." the black cat said, he was still very afraid as well.

"You don't need to be afraid of me. I'm not made of darkness. I hunt Kamalas." she said assuringly. Marcicello paused a minute and bent down to look at Fran. Her yellow eyes seemingly inspected her for a moment. Marcicello then appeared to be upset. "So it happened..." she looked away with a sigh. "You're the one Itward told me to look after. You're name is Fran Bow Dagenhart, isn't it?" she asked.

"Yes it is." Fran replied.

"This can only mean that it happened." She shook her head briefly, as if to clear her mind. 

"Didn't Itward call you 'Marcy'" Fran inquired.

"No, it's 'Marci'. Since you are Itward's little girl you may call me Marci." she nodded and turned back to the Kamalas on the other side of the wall of water. "Let me take care of this." she made a wave motion at the Kamalas and the water washed over them, destroying them. "No more danger I assure you. Now, you must come with me. The Kamalas have been destroyed for now, but there are A LOT more hiding." she glanced around looking for more of the monsters.

"A-are you magic?" Fran asked bewildered.

"Mm, I guess so. You see, I only possess the powers that are unique to my species, nothing special. But you, you have special powers no other human does! You are the special one! Man, I'm repetitive." she said.

"Okay." Fran was still stunned. "Where did you come from?"

"Eh, up there." Marci pointed up at the steeple.

"You jumped from all the way up there and you're not even hurt?" Mr. Midnight said astonished.

"I think I'm alright. I usually don't do stupid stuff like that a lot, but it was the fastest way down." she shrugged. Marci unfastened the lid to a small container that was clipped on her belt. She shoved her sword into it, which became liquid and poured itself into the container. "Are you cold? Or scared? Or both?" she asked concerned. Fran nodded. Marci took off her jacket and wrapped it around the little girl. "Well, it's definitely too big, but at least it'll be warm."


	8. -Upon a Fiery Steed?

"Fran, what are we going to do?" Mr. Midnight asked.

"I don't know. Do we go with Marci?" she suggested and picked up her cat. Fran was too exhausted and in shock to care at this point. All I want is a warm place to curl up and sleep forever. She thought.

"You could come with me and sleep forever at my place." Marci said. Fran hadn't realized that she had said that out loud. "It's not the ritz but it is comfortable. I have a farm."

"What?!" Mr. Midnight gasped. "We just came all the way from there and now we have to go back!?" Marci appeared to be a bit startled.

"Do you have a talking horse named Jango?" Fran asked drowsily.

"Uh, I do." she said. "Dang it, if I knew you were already there I wouldn't've come out here!" she sighed. "Well, would you like to come with me anyway? I could carry you."

"But that would take a really long time." Fran pointed out.

"Not necessarily..." Marci said lost in thought. Her expression changed and she drew the water out of her container again. The water swirled around and rest at her shoulder blades in the shape of wings.

"Wow! Can you fly?" Fran asked.

"Usually.." she answered with a shrug.

"Have you ever done it before?" Mr. Midnight asked, a little cautious.

"Egh, would it make you feel better if I said yes?" Marci said. 

"It would..." the cat mumbled.

"Well then you're in luck."

 

"We're here!" They landed smoothly in the front yard of the white farm house. She put the water back into the container and unlocked the door. Fran had asked Marci to fly low to the ground, because she didnt like heights. 

Inside Marci's house, there were green and blue wallpapers and grey fuzzy carpet. It smelled nice. 

"Welcome to my home, hope you enjoy it." Marci said with a yawn. Now, everyone was yawning, they were all tired. "If you want to sleep in my bed, that's fine, I'll sleep on the couch... Here, I'll show you where it is." she lead Fran and Mr. Midnight down the hall and turned left up a flight of stairs and into a room with a bed, a desk and dresser with a mirror. 

"I'm really tired..." Fran mumbled. It was warm in Marci's house. 

"Me too. I'm gonna grab: this and you can go to sleep." she said rummaging through her dresser and grabbing some articles of clothing. She turned out the light as Fran and Mr. Midnight tucked themselves into the covers.

"Are you ready to sleep?" Marci asked, they nodded with eyes half-closed. "Goodnight, little friends." she said and closed the door. 

On the other side of the bedroom, Marci scratched her head. She didn't really know if Fran and Mr. Midnight liked her or appreciated what she was doing, she had only known them for about two hours and yet now they were sleeping in her house. That was okay, she certainly didn't have any problem with it, but Marci didn't know what they thought of her. I am really awkward. She thought and went into the bathroom to get ready for the night. She really missed Itward. 

Since he hadn't come to visit last night, and the rush he was in the night before... Marci refused to believe it, but it was no good. She already knew that it happened... I wasn't even there to help! Icy claws gripped her heart. She missed Itward dearly, it was like losing an arm or a leg. She felt incomplete. 

You just have to watch Fran. It's what Itward wanted. She sighed in her head. Marci took a moment to calm down. Focus on the task at hand. She started into the living room and laid down on the couch. 

She decided she would wake up tomorrow and make pancakes. Pancakes were great, who doesn't like pancakes...? Or waffles, French toast, sausage, bacon, omelets with ham and cheese... She fell asleep thinking childishly about many breakfast items. 


	9. The Labyrinth

She was walking in a dark and depressing hall. It was made of rock and dripping water down from the ceiling. Every noise echoed all around her until she couldn't tell what anything was or if it was real. 

The long dank corridor split into many different halls, but still she kept going straight. There was a  mournful cry of some creature, the horrible sound resonating from in front and behind. Is it Kamalas? She wondered, feeling like she should be afraid but wasn't. She continued walking, as if pulled by an invisible string. Ahead, she turned left. Every hall had been made of the almost same identical stone walls, dotted every seventeen yards or so by a dim torch resting in a sconce. She had no idea where she was going or why. She had seemingly entered this place from the southwest and had made several disorienting turns. Right, left, straight, straight, right, straight, down a flight of slick rock stairs, left around the stairs and past a cave-in, right, and now left again. The entrance to this labyrinth had a medieval-ish door set into the ground. Where am I going? Is there an end to this maze? She thought with the peculiar feeling of being watched. There was a muffled sound close behind her. She wheeled around, saw a shadow creeping around the side of the wall and broke into a sprint. 

There was that sensation of being half lead half dragged to the right at another intersection. Glancing behind again, she was startled as she suddenly emerged into a larger area, and skidded to a halt. All around seemed to be barred cages with shackles inside, nothing more. Every prison was placed adjacent to the next, forming a huge line. She walked along them, panting from running and fear. Inside a few of them were old bones, long dead skeletons that the world had forgotten with time. 

There was something else, another presence perhaps? She froze and heard the faintest sound of a labored breath. She searched for the sound and came across another cage... And was met by a horrifying sight. 

There was a skeleton, lying in the bottom of the cage. It had been very injured, from what she could see; three of its ribs were snapped almost completely clean through, an entire arm had been disjointed from the socket, and there were numerous cracks and fractures on its other bones. Plus, someone had ripped off the whole lower jaw, it lay inside the cage in the far left corner. 

Who would do such a thing!? She felt so horrible, it's was enough to bring tears to her eyes. Without warning, the wounded skeleton raised its head with multiple clicks of its vertebrae and opened a half-lidded eye. A bright shining light pierced the gloom. The eye stared at her, through her, filled her entire soul. She fell to her knees with a sob. 

Yellow.

"Itward!!" Marci screamed. Her eyes flew open and she jolted upright. Where am I? She thought in bewilderment. Couch, blue, green and walls, she was in her living room, not a dungeon. She put a hand on her chest and felt her pounding heart, and took some calming breaths. 

It was not yet dawn, the sky was still a midnight blue, and a few stars twinkled down. The moon wasn't visible from the window. 

I hope my dream wasn't true. She prayed and picked the blanket up off the floor. Marci covered herself up with it again. While staring up at the ceiling, she knew she wouldn't get back to sleep soon, despite how tired she was. Screw it. She thought and got up. I will go to my personal therapist. Marci jammed her feet into a pair of old shoes and went outside. 

The night was quite chilly, she could see her breath in a cloud as she started to walk towards the barn.

"Jango. I need to talk to you." she called, her voice sounded loud and out of place in the silence all around. Marci stood in front of the stall that her faithful horse was sleeping in. Jango stuck his head out through the window, blinking slowly.

"Marci, what are y'all doin' up this late? You should be in bed." he said drowsily.

"I know, but I had a dream I want to tell you about." she muttered, pulling up a chair to sit on.

"Judgin' by you're urgency, I reckon it was purdy important." Jango drawled with a toss of his head. Marci began to explain her dream about walking through a stone maze and finding Itward badly wounded in a cage. 

"I'm worried something very bad might have happened." she sighed with a downcast expression. Jango took a moment to collect his thoughts before speaking.

"Well, perhaps what you've seen is your mind's emotional response to this happening. There'd be something wrong with ya if you weren't takin' this situation like y'all are now, now wouldn't you?" he empathized. Marci nodded a tiny bit, feeling awfully small and powerless. Jango went on. "Now, be a chance this IS Itward tryin to reach out to ya. I would wait a night 'r two before y'all go gallivanting into something you're unfamiliar with."

"But what if he's too hurt to do it again?" she said and stood up.

"I think you'll know. I believe you'll trust your instincts." he touched the top of Marci's head with his snout, gently. He pulled his head back after a few seconds.

"Thank you for the advice, Jango. I appreciate it." she said, consoled slightly by his words.

"You're very welcome, Little Em." Jango withdrew his head from the window. "Y'all need to go back to bed now. Goodnight." he pointed out.

"Yeah, I know. Thank you again. Goodnight." Marci called as she exited the barn and went back to her house.

"Mr. Midnight, are you awake?" Fran whispered, still in Marci's bed. There was a blue clock on the wall in front of her, ticking ticking ticking away. Never stopping. The sunlight was pouring in from behind the curtains on the window.

"No-o-o." he groaned. Fran paused.

"Well... How about now?" she asked.

"Still no." he meowed and covered his head with his paws.

"I think we should get up now." she said.

"No, I'm SO tired!"

"But it's like half past nine!" Fran complained. "I'm gonna get up and see what Marci is doing." she hopped out of bed and went into the hallway. She smelled something being cooked in the kitchen. 

"Hi!" Fran chimed.

"Goooood morning ladies and cat!" Marci said, sounding a bit like a gameshow host. "I am making blueberry pancakes... Eh, I hope you LIKE pancakes..."

"I love pancakes!" Fran replied with an excited hop.

"Well, that's good. I'm not sure how I'd eat these all by myself. I love pancakes too but I might explode if I ate this giant STACK of flapJACKS." Marci responded contemplating the pancakes.

"Hey that was kinda funny." Fran said, amused by Marci's bad pun.

"Meh, not really I'm just a bad pun kinda person." Marci said. "Do you wanna see something cool?"

"Sure." Fran answered. "What is it?"

"Just watch." she said and picked up the pan with a cooking pancake on it. In a swift motion, she flicked the pan up and the pancake flipped completely over in the air and fell back on its other side. "Ta da!"

"Awesome! You made it look easy!" Fran commented. Marci shrugged in response.

"Well, I like pancakes and I make a lot of them... Somewhere in Itward's Flying Machine there's a old picture of me with a half cooked pancake on my face!" she laughed, kind of embarrassed. "Where is our great Sir Shadow the cat this morning?"

"He's still sleeping." Fran complained.

"Well I guess he's gonna miss out on pancakesssssss!!!!" Marci called down the hall. They waited a minute or two and, sure enough, Mr. Midnight scampered into the kitchen. He seemed a bit annoyed. 

"I'm so tired! I feel like I went over a waterfall!" He grumbled.

"Your pancake has fish in it. Be happy." Marci said. Mr. Midnight instantly perked up.

"Really?" he purred. Marci flipped the last pancake onto the stack and turned off the stove.

"Have you ever seen a UFO before?" the tall girl asked.

"A what?"

"An alien space ship, have you ever seen one?"

"I'm not sure, Mr. Midnight have you ever seen a spaceship?" Fran asked with a shrug.

"I don't think soooo...?" Mr. Midnight trailed off as a pancake started levitating and floated towards Fran. Several more pancakes started to fly, including slices of butter a bottle of maple syrup, and a plate. The first pancake dropped down onto the plate. The butter spread itself on all the pancakes, which stacked together on the plate. Then the maple syrup poured out onto them. The syrup floated back towards the counter and the completed tower landed on the table.

"Hahahaha, you should see the look on your faces-s-s-s! Hahahaha!!" Marci burst into laughter. Her laugh was contagious and Fran and Mr. Midnight started to giggle uncontrollably. Everyone was in a fit of laughter and no one could look at the pancakes without starting to laugh again. 

"Hehehehe!" 

"Haha, that's about all my powers are good for, floating pancakes at people to see there reactions!" Marci joked.

"Can I just eat the pancakes now without them flying away?" Mr. Midnight asked, licking his lips.

"Sure! Dig in." Marci said and floated more pancakes towards the table. The pancakes for Fran and Mr. Midnight were a bit smaller than the ones Marci had made for herself. Fran sat down at the table, her cat hopped up in one of the seats with his front paws up on the wooden surface. Fran picked up her fork and ate some of her breakfast. 


	10. Mornings

Marci was a good cook! Her pancakes weren't over-brown at all, with just the right amount of fluffiness and they were really sweet. It reminded her of eating breakfast with her parents, the flavor seemed very much the same. Her parents... Even now after so long it still hurt to think about them.

"Are you okay, Fran? Do you not like them?" Marci startled her out of her thoughts.

"I just... Your pancakes made me think of my parents..." Fran replied solemnly. Marci seemingly read her mind.

"Oh... Im sorry..." she muttered. "I know what it's like to lose your family..." Marci shook her head quickly, seemingly trying to dispel any thoughts before she totally thought them. Her eyes appeared a bit glassy. Fran hadn't meant for her to feel bad too, it had just happened.

"Um, no. Don't be sorry, these are really good. I think these might be some of the best I've ever had!" Fran said trying to cheer her up. Marci smiled again, taking a bite of her pancake.

"Thanks! I mean, I'm no gourmet chef but I do try my best." she said and sat upright suddenly, as if in realization. "I forgot to ask if you wanted anything to drink!" Fran thought for a moment.

"Can I have a glass of milk?" she asked.

"Me too!" Mr. Midnight blurted after Fran.

"Consider it done." Marci turned in her chair and pointed at a cabinet. From the bottom shelf a bowl floated out simultaneously with a glass. She then flicked her hand towards the fridge, but the glassware stared flying off in the opposite direction away from the refrigerator. She frowned. 

"What are you doing? Stop!" she seemed to be speaking to the cup and bowl, who didn't listen. Instead they started to fly around in a circle close to the ceiling. Despite Marci's height, it was out of reach to her. She sighed and glared at the rotating objects. 

"Get down here!" she was becoming annoyed and held her hands up at them. They moved down and hovered in the air in front of her. Marci reached out to grab them but glass and bowl moved out away from her grasp. "Grr." she made another grab for them but they jerked back out from under her fingers. This repeated several times with unsuccess. 

Fran giggled. This seemed like something that would happen in a cartoon. There was a mischievous and comical atmosphere, and the funniness was added by the expression Marci was making. "Fine! Stay there and make me expend all my energy and die!" she returned to the table. Cup and bowl landed next to her.

 "Ugh! I can't even win with myself." Marci groaned exasperatedly. Now the fridge opened and out flew a bottle of milk. It filled Fran's cup and Mr. Midnight's bowl and returned to the fridge which closed behind it, failing to revolve around the ceiling fan. Fran and Mr. Midnight burst out laughing again. If there was ever an expression of frustration and humor, Marci had successfully made that face. She just shrugged and laughed along with them. 

"Howdy, what's with all the hoopla?" drawled a familiar voice.

"Jango!" Fran cried at the sight of the large horse's silver head sticking in the kitchen through an open window above the sink.

"Well, well, well. Ain't that a surprise." the horse tossed his head. "It's little Fran and her black kitten, Mr. Midnight! What are y'all doin' back?"

"Well, it turns out that Marci was the person we were looking for!" Fran chimed. "She saved us from Kamalas."

"Go figure." he agreed. "That ain't pancakes y'all 're eatin, is it?"

"Ha, I didn't forget about you, Jango. I'll be out with your's in a minute." Marci said.

"A'right." he said and took his head out of the window and went back to the barn, hoof beats fading. They successfully finished the rest of their breakfast without anything else flying away. Fran helped Marci wash the dishes and Mr. Midnight sat on the windowsill watching birds flying around. 

After they did the dishes, they all went in the living room to watch the news on television. Fran was looking at the photographs that were framed and hanging on the wall. There was a few pictures of people she didn't know.

"Are these photos of your family?" she turned and asked.

"Yep. The woman in the top left was my mother, the man on the right was my father. The girl there towards the bottom was my little sister..." she replied with a hint of sadness. Marci had to be different or something, how else was she able to see Itward and the Kamalas? She had said last night "unique to my species".

"Marci. What kind of thing are you?" she asked.

"Huh?" she cocked her head.

"I mean what kind of a creature are you?" Fran rephrased.

"Oh, we'll I'm not human, if that's what your wondering. I may look like one but I'm not." she said. "I am something much older than humans. There's a word in your language for it: Valkrie." she replied. "My main purpose is to hunt and destroy Kamalas."

"How do people not know about Valkries?" Fran asked.

"We've been in this world since before humans. But we are going extinct." Marci muttered. "There aren't that many others left anymore. But we still gotta do our job, the Kamalas aren't going away anytime soon. Another thing we're supposed to do is fight for Ithersta if need be."

"I've been there!" Fran exclaimed.

"Yeah? I haven't. I'm not supposed to leave the third reality unless I have permission from the Valokas or it's an emergency." she responded.  Fran kept looking at the photos. 

There was a picture of Itward and Marci. The photograph was very small, as if it had come out of a camera that prints out pictures automatically. There was genuine joy resonating from Itward's eyes, a look that truly meant something coming from him. It's made her smile and feel warm inside.

"How long have you known Itward?" she wondered.

"A very long time." Marci replied.

"How long?" Fran asked innocently.

"Oh, about 73 years or so." she said it so casually as if she was discussing the weather or how well her garden was growing.

"Wow! That's a really long time!" Mr. Midnight exclaimed with a twitch of his ears.

"Yeah it's a pretty decent hunk of time. I've known Itward since before he could speak." she said, a story-telling tone came into her voice.

"What does that mean? Since before he could talk?" the black cat asked, curled up on Marci's couch.


	11. Stories

"You want to know the whole story then. Well, it was a foggy cool night in early May, the year was 1872. I was out stalking Kamalas, destroying them on sight. Only the thing was, there didn't seem to be a whole lot, as if they simply vanished with the wind. So I was creeping around, searching for any sign of them. Nothing. I continued scouting on the opposite side of town. There I spotted some black oily residue on the side of a building..." 

Marci noticed the dark substance, gleaming sickly on the bricks. A decently fresh indication of the Kamalas presence. It seemingly slid forward in a westerly direction. She began to jog silently, noticing more signs of the dark spirits and following them. Still none of them... This is strange, why would they leave so suddenly? She wondered. The smears seemed to be leading her towards the town park, which is where she found herself. On the faint breeze came the unmistakable smell of decay that Kamalas emit. 

Marci followed her nose. Along a sidewalk bordered with a few young maples is when she heard a sound; the watery growl of a Kamala... No. The closer she got she thought she detected more than just a few. 

Why would they start doing sonething very different, why would so many be gathered together? The sweet death smell was very strong and made her eyes sting a bit. Blinking, she was lead toward the horde of evil spirits, and discovered a very shocking scene. Surrounded in an impenetrable wall of death was an incredibly tall skeleton. 

And that skeleton was alive and standing in the middle without muscles or skin. It had yellow glowing eyes, to Marci's joy like her own. But those eyes were wild and in panic, terrified and confused at the beings around it. The skeleton was cornered and that corner was shrinking as the Kamalas began to advance slowly, surely that their prey could no longer escape. It appeared to be running out of energy and hope that it would survive. Destroy them, it's my duty to protect those from them. Marci was filled with a sudden burst of adrenaline and launched at the mass of blackness. 

She leapt and landed in the circle to defend the skeleton, drawing her water sword and slashing at the dark spirits. Blazing line of light after another sliced through them, some being destroyed while deterring any others that survived. 

There seemed to be every Kamala in the area here gathered together. Being as though they were in a circle, it became a bit difficult to hold them off. Marci lengthened the water and used the aqua ribbon as a whip instead. Twirling it around her head and lashing, out she took out a whole row of the Kamalas. the end of the whip whistled through the air. 

Crack! 

Marci brought down more of the foul beasts, blow after blow. Faster and faster until the air was aglow with the streaks of glowing light left in the bodies of them. The few remaining fled in fear of the Valkrie, the Purifier. Satisfied, she recollected the whip and drew it back into its sheath at her waist. 

Marci turned towards the skeleton with concern. It had fallen onto its knees out of exhaustion and sat quaking in the grass and fallen leaves without saying a word. 

"Are you alright, stranger?" she asked. It made a confused expression, as if it couldn't understand what she had said. It had to have at least understood the concerned note in her voice? She approached the skeleton. It had wide shoulder bones, a characteristic of male humanoids. He shrank away from her, throwing up an arm over his head in a feeble attempt to defend himself. He thinks I'll hurt him. She thought and sat down in the grass next to him. 

Marci waited patiently in the peaceful calmness that washed back over the land after the retreat of the Kamalas. A moment passed and Marci didnt move. This was how you approached a frightened wounded animal. He dared peek under his arm, saw her looking at him and covered his eyes again. Surely he saw we have the same eyes in our skulls? She pondered in silence. 

Sure enough, he stole another glance at her, looking at her eyes with an uncertain curiosity. The skeleton cautiously lowered his arm, Marci made no sudden attempts to move and startle him. 

Thank the Valokas I got here in time! She was almost as exhausted as her skeletal companion. Her arm muscles ached and her heart was still thumping a bit from the energy boost. It had been a short but intense fight and left her feeling drained. Marci glanced around, scanning the surroundings for any Kamalas lingering in wait. She didn't see any. Suddenly she became aware of a an unpleasant, dull sting on her left forearm. 

I don't remember any of them scratching me! She thought and inspected her wound. It didn't seem to be very deep but it was bleeding profusely. She used her powers to heal the cut. The pain faded and she again, returned her attention to the skeleton. He was still looking at Marci, though now more curious than in fear. He seemed to have noticed her magic. 

"Here look. See? It's healed now." she said quietly and extended her wrist towards him. He flinched away from it first but curiosity became the better of him and he looked upon her newly healed arm. As if in comparison, he held up his own wrist and looked at it to her's and back again. Marci noticed something, a shape in the bone of his forearm. There seemed to be a chip in it. She saw to it that she healed that with her powers. 

The skeleton looked stunned and looked upon his wrist in shock, ran a finger over its now smooth unmarked bone. He blinked in disbelief and awe, apparently it seemed whoever he was, was not used to kindness. He stared at her, yellow and yellow. He didn't seem angry, maybe a bit confused but mostly gratitude shone from his eyes.

"Hi, I'm Marcicello." she said and pointed toward herself when she said her name, though he probably couldn't understand. He blinked slowly and worked his jaw. He ground his sharp teeth together. Then a sound came out. No human vocal cords would be able to make a noise like that, not even close. 

"Ehtwhrrdt." he said and gestured toward himself. It occurred to Marci that maybe he was rather intelligent.

It took her a long moment to make an equivalent of what he had said. "Itward? Your name is Itward?" she said. She'd never heard a name like that before, maybe an Edward but not an Itward. She smiled at the thought. Itward smiled back, that surprised her but he could smile.

"After that some stuff happened. One night a while after I left he appeared on my doorstep at night during a storm. I let him inside and then some more stuff happened." Marci concluded. "And that's how I met Itward."

"How did he learn to talk?" Fran asked.

"I started to teach him. It was difficult at first because he couldn't make any of the same sounds that we can." Marci explained. "But he wanted to talk very badly. I think the first word he ever said was: friend."

"You taught him a lot of stuff then, didn't you?" Mr. Midnight asked, curious.

"Yep, there was a time when he always stayed here. He lived here with me. He was my best friend, sometimes I think he's more than that." she said. Fran joined them on the couch.


	12. Origins

"Where did Itward come from? How did he get here and not know anything?" Fran asked. Marci's tone suddenly darkened.

"You know he came from the Fourth Reality..." she didn't speak for so long Fran thought she wasn't going to answer. "Itward should be telling you himself about this, not me. But, the fourth reality was bad."

"Like the fifth reality?" Mr. Midnight asked.

"No. Much worse. They... Wanted to conquer the other realities. Seize control and force them to do the High Lord's will. Bigger armies, more slaves." she shook her head slowly.

"Thats horrible!" Fran cried. "I would run away as fast as I could!"

"Yes. Itward couldn't stand hurting people just because some king told him to. He wanted to flee the fourth reality but he didn't know how." Marci continued.

"How did he get away?" Mr. Midnight asked in wonder, wide eyed like an owl chick.

"One night while he was alone, Itward was visited by the Great Valokas. They purified him of the darkness and in turn, his eyes turned yellow. Which is also the same reason mine are yellow as well." she paused. "Anyway that also caused him to gain some special powers, too. He had to escape, slipping past guards and running for his life. Itward came so close to getting caught, but he used one of his newly unlocked powers to open a portal. He didn't know where it led but he used it and found himself in the Third Reality, pretty close from here actually." Marci told them. They both were in awe at her story.

"Please continue!" Mr. Midnight said.

"Finish the story, Marci! Please?" Fran begged with her hands clasped together, as if in prayer.

"Wow, you sure like my faerie tales. Hmm... Alright. Once Itward found himself in the Third Reality, he was extremely confused. Everything was so different from the Fourth Reality, not as many creatures tried to kill you, the weather, plants, animals, things like that. But the thing that baffled him the most was the humans-"

"Why did humans confuse him?" Fran interrupted.

"Well, picture it this way. You grew up knowing that your bones were inside you, the only skeletons you knew of were dead." Marci briefed. "The first time you met Itward, weren't you shocked that a skeleton could do almost the exact same things as you, maybe a few more things. You could talk, run, eat, hear, see, pick up things, etc. Imagine being in Itward's place. He'd never seen any humanoids whose skeletal structures were inside layers of muscle and skin. Not to mention all the other changes. He was so disoriented, he didn't know where he was, the humans were afraid of him. They'd scream and run away when, poor Itward was probably more terrified than them. He didn't know why they were afraid of him, and he couldn't communicate with them either. He was so confused, he once admitted to me that he thought he was insane or dead, or both!"

"That sounds pretty scary!" Fran realized. Mr. Midnight suddenly sprung up onto all four paws. His dark fur bristled on end but his expression was playful.

"Fran is a big, bad, scary human!" he mewed and scampered across the room to the corner. "Stay away! You're scaring me!"

"Yes I'm a VERY scary human! And I will eat you!" Fran cried and jumped up to chase her cat. "Rawr! I'm gonna get you!" they ran around they room, darting in different directions.

"Quick! Mr. Midnight jump on the couch! You'll be invisible!" Marci called with mock concern. "Hurry! She's gaining on you!" The black cat sailed onto the couch like a speeding bullet. "Poof! You're invisible now!"

"Hey! I can't see you! Where did you go?!" Fran demanded with a giggle of amusement. "I will find you!" Fran began to pretend to look for Mr. Midnight.

"You'll never find me! I'M invisible!" he proclaimed.

"You better watch out! She can still hear you!" Marci informed, playing along with them. Fran started walking towards the couch. "Uh oh!" Marci said and scooped up the black cat and made a mad dash down the hall like a football player. Fran chased her right down it and followed her into the bedroom. Marci purposely went into the corner where Fran trapped her.

"Aah! She's gonna get me!" Mr. Midnight squealed and flailed his paws in the air. Fran quickly poked her cat in his belly.

"I got you!" she announced triumphantly.

"Aw, man!" Mr. Midnight purred. "You've got me!" Marci giggled at them both and started to put on a pair of black boots.

"Where are you going?" Fran asked.

"I have to go feed Jango his pancakes before he lights the place on fire." she said casually and went into the kitchen, retrieved the plate and came back out. "Would you like to come with me?"

"Okay!" Fran jumped up and followed Marci to the barn.


	13. Flash Fire

"You know, I've never been to a farm before." Fran commented, looking at everything in the barn with wonder.

"No, this place can hardly be called a farm. I'm the only animal that lives here." Marci joked.

"Marci, could y'all walk any possibly slower?" Jango said sarcastically from a stall.

"Okay." she said and started to make her way forward inch by inch..

"Fah! You know what I meant!" he said. Burn the place down... Fran thought. She concentrated very hard and switched into the Ultrareality. Everything was different. Fran was standing in the barn. Flames curled at the walls and smoke clouded the ceiling. Jango no longer looked very friendly, his coat was as dark as a coal and his mane was on fire. Flames poured from his eyes and mouth as the horse screamed. Fran decided that she better switch back to the normal reality.

"I ain't so nice over there am I?" the horse drawled. He was back to normal, coat shiny silver and black mane.

"No not really. You looked evil and wild. And you were on fire!" Fran exclaimed.

"Yep you guessed it. Jango is a retired Nightmare." Marci said. "Now he lives here with me."

"Yes ma'am. You shouldve seen me in my prime." Jango said pridefully.

"Um maybe I shouldn't." Fran shrugged innocently.

"You may have a point there, little missy. I 'an assure you I ain't the ragin' inferno I used to be!" he chuckled. Marci opened the stall and Jango trotted out, towering over them all. Marci held the plate up to him and he started to eat them. Watching a horse eating pancakes was a very funny thing. Fran started giggling as Marci started moving the plate away from Jango. 

"Really?" he snorted and smoke came out of his nostrils. She started to run through the barn holding the plate straight above her head. Jango galloped down after her. 

"Aaaaah!! He's gonna get me!" Marci couldn't run fast enough while balancing pancakes as the silver horse began to catch up, closing the distance with each stride. Suddenly he leapt in front of her and blocked the way. Marci skidded to a halt.

"Will y'all PLEASE stop doing that?" he snorted and stamped his hoof, sending up clouds of dust, or was it smoke?

"I wouldn't tease you if I didn't like you." she shrugged.

"You are the most annoying person I've ever met... But I'd take that over a boring keeper any day." he admitted. They are really goofy. She thought.

"Wow! This place is huge!" Mr. Midnight's voice called from somewhere above Fran. She saw her precious black kitten balanced upon a rafter high above her head.

"Mr. Midnight! Please be careful!" she called up to him. She couldn't stand to lose anyone else, much less her cat. Fran would give up if she did.

"Don't worry! I'm being really super careful!" he told her. And continued along down the wood. "This place is great! There's so much to explore!" The cat leapt off the rafter and into the loft. There was a rustling sound as he landed out of sight. "Fran! You gotta come see this!" Mr. Midnights voice was shrill with excitement.

"What's up there?" she asked Marci, who was walking back toward her with Jango on her heels.

"That's the hay loft." she informed. "Would you like to go up?"

"Yes!" she paused a moment. "What's hay?" Fran asked, curiosity sparking in her voice.

"How can you not know what hay is?" Marci asked a little dumbly.

"Why not she just show ya?" Jango suggested with a toss of his head.

"Alright, better than trying to explain it. Hold this." Marci stuck the empty white plate ontop of Jango's head. He completely froze all over at the plate he was suddenly trying to keep from breaking. "Thank you. Up this ladder, Fran." Marci led her over to a tan wooden ladder, leaving the horse with his newly acquired plate. Marci directed the small girl to climb up first. 

Yikes! That's pretty high! Fran looked below her under the ladder. The floor seemed very far down, and the room swayed around her. She groaned as her stomach dropped without warning.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Marci asked from behind her.

"I-it's too high! I feel really dizzy and my legs feel like jello!" Fran cried and squeezed her eyes shut tightly.

"Come on, Fran! You can do it! I believe in you!" Mr. Midnight called above their heads. "It's not that far now!"

"Don't worry, you won't fall. I'll catch you." Marci soothed.

"Do you promise?" Fran whimpered.

"Uh-huh." she replied with certainty. Fran opened her eyes and grasped the next rung on the ladder. They continued climbing. Fran collapsed on a big pile of dried grass when they reached the loft. She assumed it was hay.

"There, you made it! That's wasn't that bad was it?" Marci scooped her up out of the hay by her shoulders.

"I don't like high-up things anymore." she muttered and pulled a hay straw out of her brown hair.

"Why? What happened that you are scared of them?" Marci inquired.

"We fell off a cliff and I turned into a tree..." She explained. The older girl cocked her head to the side.

"Huh?" she said dumbly. Mr. Midnight's black fluffy head popped up suddenly from the hay.

"After we escaped the Twins' house we came across a bridge made of-"

"The Twins." Marci interrupted. Cold malice flashed through her eyes for a brief moment, it was a bit out of character for her it seemed. 

Fran remembered Clara and Mia. She hadn't liked them! They locked up her kitty and left him to starve. Not to mention the fact that they kidnapped her and forced her to do a magical spell that could've killed Itward. 

But they were gone now and it wasn't the twins' fault they didn't understand.  
Marci apologized for interrupting. Mr. Midnight continued.

"There was this bridge made of tree roots. We had to cross it to get home, which we tried but then! The sky got all dark and clouds swirled around and around, and Remor appeared." Marci gasped in horror. "He cut apart the bridge! And we fell down for a really long time! It's was really, really scary!" Mr. Midnight's tail drooped to the floor and his ears flattened against his head. Falling was one of the worst feelings Fran had ever felt. Her stomach felt like it was trying to squeeze its way around her heart and she had known they were going to hit something, but there was nothing she could've done about it.

"Did you land on something soft?" Marci asked.

"No." Fran answered. "We woke up in Ithersta and I was a tree."

"That's really... Wow." Marci didn't know what to say. "No wonder you don't like heights. You two must be very brave to have done all that!"

"I guess we did do a lot, didn't we Mr. Midnight?" Fran asked.

"It seems like all of this happened yesterday, but it's been a while." he confirmed. "You escaped the Oswald Asylum, went to a forest and met Antonio the Greatest, fell down a well into the Twins' house, rescued me and defeated them. Then we fell off the bridge and went to Ithersta, did everyone's errands and went to the Secret Woods. We met Itward, rode in his flying machine and had a birthday party, fell out of the sky. Went to the fifth reality, you died and came back to life..." Mr. Midnight finished. Marci paused before she said anything.

"Yunno, I made your birthday cake?" She seemed proud.

"You did? That's really cool! Thank you." Fran said. Even though they had only known her for almost two days, Marci's presence had been with them for a while, it seemed.

"How did it taste?" she asked them. "I hope it was good!"

"Oh, we never actually got to eat it." Fran realized. "Kamalas attacked the ship and then we fell out of the sky." A strange look came into Marci's eyes. 

"Bummer. I worked hard on that cake!" she muttered, disappointed. She bent and picked up a piece of hay, fiddling with it in her hands.

"I'm sure it was really good." Mr. Midnight affirmed. He shook is long black fur, scattering bits of hay and dust into the air. Marci still appeared crestfallen at the thought of being cheated out of a birthday cake.

Crash!

Marci exhaled frustratedly with a groan and turned to look down below at the floor, the sight caused her to sigh again. Fran and Mr. Midnight scampered over to the older girl. There, they saw sharp bits and pieces of broken white plate lying scattered on the ground. And the culprit was none other than Jango, who stood guiltily quartering away from the shards. 

"My bad. I apologize." he drawled in his heavy accent, reluctantly standing up to his crime.

"It's fine!" Marci shook her head with a smile. "I was sure as heck surprised that you were able to hold it that long!" She laughed and held an arm down at the broken plate on the dusty, hay-covered cement floor. The white glossy fragments swirled up and hovered a few feet in the air. In a wave motion and a snap of Marci's fingers, they disappeared with a wisp of smoke. She turned back to the girl and cat. "We should probably go back inside now. Are you guys hungry?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm getting hungry." Fran replied with an eager nod. "What about you, Mr. Midnight?" 

"Fish!" The black kitten sprung up onto all four paws in a blizzard of dust and straw, eyes glimmering in a shaft of sunlight shining through a crack in the wall.

"Ha, that settles it." Marci smiled with a hand laid nonchalantly on her hip. "Come on, let's get you down."


	14. Inklings

Darkness. The inky blackness was everywhere, was everything. But there really was nothing, just darkness. Thickly shrouding and obscuring everything, but nothing. Sure there was nothing, no sounds or shapes, not even shadows. Just black and only it. How long had it been? No... There was no time, time was nothing. Enemies...? But they no longer existed, had they even existed at all? Why was... It's just repeating over and over and over and over... Was it pain? Was there ever such a thing as sensations? Felt, no never felt anything. There was darkness, which was not at all.. And was just imagining it over and over, it wouldn't stop. The pain took it from mind. Is that... Had this happened? ...Only imagining...? But why would such pain be felt at the memories, if that's what they were. I... I am an "I" not just... And... No. He didn't exist... Over and over. Was there ever someone? That-SHE... She never existed. Pain, so much pain now. But no "now". No then, now, or will. Just... Pain. What? Something else? A slight wetness? Moving... Down, dripping, down... Down his... FACE! He realized with a jolt and his eyes flew open. 

Oh dear... It was still dark... 

But his eyes were open and they could move. There was something beginning to come into focus, a contour of some unknown object. 

It was beginning to grow brighter as his pupils expanded to see in the blackness. Colors, they were very drab where he was, mostly dull shades of gray. But this thing he was looking at was star white in comparison. There, now the lines weren't so blurry and the shape solid enough to see... A-a lower jaw? Why was it just? Then.

He was slammed with a sudden tidal wave of pain. It flared through his bones. Though he couldn't move from the beginning, the severity of his pain was too much for him to handle... 

Many painfully slow minutes passed. He was beginning to fear, the pain's firm grasp on his entire being seemed unrelenting. An animalistic growl forced its way from his jawless mouth, as he willed himself to endure the burning inferno, wave after wave of unending suffering. 

Please make it stop! Please, I beg of you, O Great Valokas! He screamed in his mind. Another snarl from his throat shook the silence. What have I done to deserve this?! It was unwavering, paralyzing, like white hot lightning through his soul. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly as he fought the urge to scream.

Suddenly, it washed over him like a warm breeze. There was once a time when he and Marci spent the day in the forest. He acutely remembered what had happened. It was in early May, many years after he met her. That day, there were no Kamalas or heartaches, there was no regret and guilt of a past no person would be able to forget. There was just them, and they were happy. Joy sparked Itward's gaze as Marci took a picture of the two of them. It was so nice, to be loved. Divine, really. Nothing that had ever happened could ruin him. 

Because he loved and others loved him, everything was alright. Even if it had only been for a while, he had known the wondrous feeling that none in this reality nor the next had ever felt in their cold dead hearts. And that, was everything. As long as Itward had love, no pain would keep him from remembering. 

Nothing could ever harm him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this chapter is short I know.


	15. NOTICE TO ALL READERS

NOTICE:

This is a message to ALL readers of this fanfiction. As of 10/26/2016 I will no longer be posting new chapters on the Archive. I am continuing to post chapters on www.quotev.com under the name LIZzardtheWizard, same as here. I hope you keep reading there. I apologize for this but it is easier for me to use Quotev and I like it more than AO3. I am aware this site is still in beta. I am not deleting my account on the archive and you may continue to post comments and kudos. I will respond. Again, I'm very sorry for the inconvenience. Have a Fantabulous day! -LIZzard_the_Wizard 


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